Sagay: Legal Luminary Accuses Senate Of Abusing Its Powers, Privileges
Former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Ekiti State , Mr. Dayo Akinlaja (SAN) on Wednesday accused the Nigeria Senate of abusing its powers and privileges of summoning individuals and government officials to appear before it to answer questions relating to their offices.
Akinlaja frowned at the way the Senate has been using its powers to summon individuals for flimsy reasons.
The legal luminary who spoke with journalists after the commissioning of an ultra-modern law chamber built by the immediate past Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Ondo State, Mr Aderemi Olatubora , however advised those summoned by the Senate to appear before the National Assembly instead of running to law court to stall the summons.
While speaking about the invitation extended to Prof Itse Sagay by the Senate, Akinlaja said the lawmakers have no right under the constitution to invite private individuals to appear before it.
He however advised the law professor to honour the invitation as a mark of respect to an arm of government.
According to him, “The National Assembly does not have the right to invite private individual like Prof. Sagay. They don’t have that right under the constitution. Because he criticized them does not give them the latitude, the power or the right to invite him.
“I want to reiterate the fact that, there is no power for them to go beyond the ambit of section 88 and 89 of the constitution. It is not something they should be exercising as a way of showing personal aggrandizement”
Akinlaja said the National Assembly has been giving the power and privileges to invite people for purposes of interfacing with them for one reason or the other as envisage under the constitution saying under such situation, it is compulsory, mandatory and imperative for such person to obey.
However, he said “If the person chooses not to go, the legislature is not left helpless. It is not without issue of remedy because by virtue of constitution, they have their own power to compel by issuance of summons and warrant of arrest as the case may be. The point here must be understood that that power of the legislature is not at large.
On the invitation of Col Ahmed Ali, the Comptroller General of the Customs Service, Akinlaja said “ he is a public servant by virtue of the fact that he is the Comptroller General of Custom Service.”
